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Drag race! Volkswagen Polo GTI vs. Golf GTI Performance…

Does the new Volkswagen Polo GTI have any hope of keeping up with the Golf GTI Performance in a drag race? Well, the folks over at Car Mania decided to find out … and the results were a little surprising.

Of course, the Polo GTI and Golf GTI actually share an engine, although the turbocharged 2,0-litre four-cylinder mill is tuned to make more oomph in the latter. Indeed, while the new Polo GTI churns out a healthy 147 kW, the Golf GTI in Performance guise offered in Europe delivers the full-fat 183 kW.

In the video above, each model is fitted with Volkswagen’s DSG dual-clutch transmission and thus enjoys launch control. And while we don’t want to spoil the race for you, we’ll just point out that the result of each drag (four were performed) appeared to depend largely on the effectiveness of each model’s launch control…

Ryan has spent most of his career in online media, writing about everything from sport to politics and other forms of crime. But his true passion – reignited by a 1971 Austin Mini Mk3 still tucked lifeless in a dark corner of his garage – is of the automotive variety.